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3 Part Workshop Series / The Art of Letting Go: In Conversation with Paintings from The Art Institute of Chicago


  • Clarus Center 28379 Davis Parkway, Unit 801 Warrenville, IL, 60555 United States (map)
 

What clutters the corners of your life?
What do you hold tightly that should be let go?

We all have examples…

  • Items that remain unused

  • Opinions that no longer fit

  • Attachments that no longer serve

Letting Go is complicated.

What if we could unpack the phrase “Letting Go” and examine what it means to us?

Join us for an exciting journey of self-discovery as we deep dive into the topic of letting go by incorporating works from the famed Art Institute of Chicago. This 3-part workshop includes a Saturday trip to the Art Institute where we’ll experience the joy of discovery by engaging with select paintings. Our Art Institute guide, Adjunct Lecturer Gigi Vaffis, will deepen our knowledge about the art and artists, their context and construction, all while inviting us to create connection to our own journey of letting go.

Join Workshop Leader Katie O’Connell and Art Institute Adjunct Lecturer Gigi Vaffis for this 3-session journey of joyful discovery. Explore how fine art prompts deeper connections to our lives and expands our personal understanding of Letting Go.

3 Sessions:

  • Thursday, November 2 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Clarus Center in Warrenville, IL: “Part 1: Prepare”

  • Saturday, November 11 from 9:45am to 2:30pm at The Art Institute of Chicago: “Part 2: Engage”

  • Thursday, November 16 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Clarus Center in Warrenville, IL: “Part 3: Reflect and Let Go”

No experience necessary. It’s courage and openness, not skill, that stirs our creative juices.

  • Included: Class sessions and materials, transportation and tickets to The Art Institute

  • Not Included: Any purchases at The Art Institute beyond tickets and transportation

  • Advanced registration required

  • $179

 

Meet Your Guides

Katie O’Connell
Katie writes from the heart. A former writing teacher, Katie enjoys supporting others in their writing process through her business, Heartwired Writing. A lover of all things creative, she’s discovered the healing power of artistic expression and its ability to help us learn more about ourselves. Katie’s essays appear in several editions of the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series, as well as online publications such as Scary Mommy and Patheos.

Gigi Vaffis
Gigi has always felt that without art, the soul shrinks. It’s ability to expand thought, heart, perspective and everything in between encourages us to open up to the beauty, challenges, history, heartbreak and realities of our collective humanity. Gigi has been engaging viewers with the Art Institute’s 300,000 object collection since her two sons were toddlers. “No two gallery experiences have every been the same. My joy is the haha moment viewers create for themselves.”

Learn more about Inner Compass Creative

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4 Week Journal Series / Lost and Found: Discovering Ourselves Through Loss

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